Will Democrats Shutdown The Government?

Summary

Ruthless Podcast Episode Summary: "Will Democrats Shutdown The Government?"

Release Date: March 13, 2025
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook
Title: Will Democrats Shutdown The Government?

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Introduction

In this episode of the Ruthless Podcast, hosts Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook tackle a pressing political issue: the potential for Democrats to shut down the U.S. government. The conversation kicks off with strong condemnation of Democratic inefficiency and intentions, setting the tone for a critical analysis of current political maneuvers.

Notable Quote:

• [00:00] Josh Holmes: "The only reason that we're dealing with this in March of 2025 is that Democrats couldn't actually do their jobs. Trump wants it so we don't. Maybe we should shut the government down."

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Government Shutdown: Causes and Implications

The hosts delve into the mechanics behind a possible government shutdown, attributing the blame squarely on Democratic leadership. They argue that Democrats, under the influence of figures like Senator Dick Durbin, are intent on derailing Republican agendas at every turn, even if it means jeopardizing national stability.

Notable Quotes:

• [05:07] John Ashbrook: "Because they're entirely captured by the far left wing base. It's the reason why they lost the election back in November."
• [10:43] Comfortably Smug: "Which happens frequently, sadly."

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Analyzing Democratic Strategies and Failures

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the internal dynamics of the Democratic Party. The hosts criticize Democrats for purportedly prioritizing appeasement of their radical base over effective governance. They highlight instances where Democratic actions, such as sponsoring controversial bills, have led to political gridlock and public discontent.

Notable Quotes:

• [06:15] Comfortably Smug: "...even elected Democrats know how nuts their platform is, but they don't have the integrity or the courage to say it until they're out of the game."
• [22:04] Comfortably Smug: "The board is back."

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Lightning Round: Hot Topics Briefly Addressed

Tesla Event and Public Reaction

The hosts briefly discuss a recent Tesla event where Democrats reacted negatively to President Trump's decision to purchase a Tesla directly from the South Lawn. This move is portrayed as a symbolic gesture against Democratic efforts to undermine Elon Musk’s ventures.

Notable Quotes:

• [44:33] Josh Holmes: "No American made product here in the backyard. I'm going to buy one on the South Lawn."
• [49:39] Michael Duncan: "737 Starliner wasn't safe."

SpaceX Rescue Mission

Elon Musk’s SpaceX mission to rescue stranded astronauts is highlighted as a positive achievement overshadowed by Democratic antagonism. The hosts commend Musk’s efforts while criticizing NASA’s shortcomings.

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King of the Hill: Satirical Debate Segment

In a playful segment titled "King of the Hill," the hosts engage in a mock debate, humorously critiquing Democratic politicians and their rhetoric. This segment includes exaggerated portrayals and satirical commentary on social media behavior among Democratic figures.

Notable Moments:

• Josh Holmes and John Ashbrook mockingly analyze Democratic tweets, such as Senator Angus King’s justifications for opposing the shutdown.
• The hosts create fictional straw donor names submitted by listeners, adding a layer of humor and sarcasm to the discussion.

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Audience Interaction: Fake Donor Names Contest

Listeners are encouraged to submit creative fake names they would use for ActBlue accounts, reflecting skepticism about Democratic fundraising practices. The hosts share and laugh over the humorous and pun-filled submissions.

Notable Submissions:

• Derek Riley: "Gabe owners"
  [40:55] Josh Holmes: "Gay boners. That's brand new."
• M: "Pete O'File"
  [41:44] Michael Duncan: "Absolute blast."

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Trump Buys a Tesla and the SpaceX Astronaut Rescue

The hosts discuss President Trump's recent purchase of a Tesla, framing it as a direct challenge to Democrats’ attempts to undermine Elon Musk. Concurrently, they cover the SpaceX mission to rescue astronauts stranded in space, praising Musk’s initiative while condemning NASA’s failure.

Notable Quotes:

• [48:47] Josh Holmes: "My child in preschool had to wear a mask if they could go to school at all."
• [49:39] Michael Duncan: "737 Starliner wasn't safe."

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Interview with Megan Novak: Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

The episode features an interview with Megan Novak, state director of AFP Wisconsin. Novak emphasizes the critical nature of the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court race, explaining its potential impact on reversing a liberal majority and influencing future congressional elections.

Key Points Discussed:

• Supreme Court Race Impact: Winning this race is pivotal for flipping the court to a conservative majority until 2028.
• Voter Mobilization Efforts: AFP Wisconsin has engaged directly with voters, reaching nearly 300,000 individuals since the previous November.
• Candidate Highlight: Brad Schimmel is presented as a strong candidate who embodies authenticity and relatability, in contrast to his opponent’s radical positions.

Notable Quotes:

• [65:21] Megan Novak: "There's an open seat this time. There's a liberal justice who decided to retire instead of run for reelection. And it is our last chance to flip the court back from a liberal majority to a conservative rule of law majority until 2028."

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Closing Remarks and Final Discussions

The hosts wrap up by reiterating the importance of the Wisconsin Supreme Court race and cautioning against Democrats' potential government shutdown tactics. They encourage listeners to stay engaged and participate in upcoming elections to support conservative values and safeguard institutional integrity.

Notable Quotes:

• [75:58] Comfortably Smug: "I think so. Absolute banger of an episode."
• [76:22] Josh Holmes: "Until next time, minions, keep the faith, hold the line, and own the libs. We'll see you Tuesday. Stay ruthless."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• [00:00] Josh Holmes: "The only reason that we're dealing with this in March of 2025 is that Democrats couldn't actually do their jobs. Trump wants it so we don't. Maybe we should shut the government down."
• [05:07] John Ashbrook: "Because they're entirely captured by the far left wing base. It's the reason why they lost the election back in November."
• [22:04] Comfortably Smug: "The board is back."
• [65:21] Megan Novak: "There's an open seat this time. There's a liberal justice who decided to retire instead of run for reelection. And it is our last chance to flip the court back from a liberal majority to a conservative rule of law majority until 2028."

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Conclusion

This episode of the Ruthless Podcast provides a fervent critique of the Democratic Party’s strategies and potential for causing a government shutdown. Through a mix of serious analysis, satirical segments, and direct interviews, the hosts emphasize the importance of voter engagement in key Supreme Court races and caution against the perceived dangers of Democratic overreach. The episode serves as a rallying call for conservative listeners to stay informed and active in shaping the political landscape.

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Note: This summary aims to capture the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the episode while maintaining the engaging and critical tone of the Ruthless Podcast. It includes notable quotes with timestamps for reference and organizes content into clear, digestible sections for easy understanding.

Transcript

[Josh Holmes]

The only reason that we're dealing with this in March of 2025 is that Democrats couldn't actually do their jobs. Trump wants it so we don't. Maybe we should shut the government down.

[Michael Duncan]

With Donald Trump back in office, one of his biggest adversaries, top Democrat Dick Durbin of Chicago, is leading the charge to derail President Trump's agenda at every turn. And now Senator Durbin has a new scheme, a government takeover of your credit card. Today, Americans have thousands of choices in credit cards, all with equal strong security. But Senator Durbin's plan will result in less competition and less security. That means more risk for your credit and your identity. Tell Republican senators, stop Dick Durbin's government takeover of your credit card before it's too late. Learn more at www.guardyourcard.com. ladies and gentlemen, your attention please.

[John Ashbrook]

Just a catching strays over here.

[Josh Holmes]

You're in for a hell of a show.

[Comfortably Smug]

Keep the faith, hold the line, and own the libs.

[Michael Duncan]

It's time for our main event.

[Josh Holmes]

Good Thursday to you. Welcome back to the Ruthless Variety Program. I'm Josh Holmes, comfortably SM Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook, left a right across your radio dial. It's always, fellas, a lot of stuff going on. I have a feeling we're going to have a lot of fun on this show.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's a good show. This is going to be a great lineup. We've got here. A lot to talk about.

[Josh Holmes]

We do have a lot to talk about. And I feel like we're in a rambunctious. Rambunctious mood.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, Well, I mean, the weather's great. We got a lot to work with. Democrats are shooting themselves in the foot, left to right.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, let's get it. It's like, sun's out, guns out. And also just the weather puts you in a great mood.

[Josh Holmes]

Y.

[John Ashbrook]

You know, and I feel like we're in a good spot mentally to have a really strong episode.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, I kind of agree.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. Let's not discount how Democrats are crushing themselves right now. I mean, they are in an absolute world of hurt. They're voting to let LeBron James play in the WNBA. And then they're like, oh, let's shut the government down.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. You know what I mean?

[Michael Duncan]

What a terrible. What a terrible set of circumstances for their party.

[Josh Holmes]

So bad. So bad. So we're going to talk a little bit about this. What Asper just highlighted is a major part of the news that is to come here this week that we will get to about government shutdowns and that kind of Thing we've got a lot to say on that. A lightning round. We're going to talk a little bit about the Tesla event with Democrats lost their minds about. I thought was hilarious and funny. Meanwhile, Elon's rescuing people in space. I think that goes up like tomorrow. Yeah, something like that. We got King of the Hill and then Megan Novak of AFP talks to us about a very important state Supreme Court race. Very important, which, you know, you don't get that a lot here on the variety program. We usually are national in our scope, but every once in a while there's something that comes up in the world of elections that is going to have an undue influence on how politics works. So we want to highlight these kind of things. And we'll get that from Megan Novak at the end of the program. The media is broken. For decades, big cable and legacy media filtered information to hide the truth. But thanks to podcasts like the one that you're listening to and new media around this country, the truth can break through, providing voices and views that legacy outlets we know well will not air. But big cable still has a major way of controlling information access. They do this by limiting access to something called spectrum, the invisible airwaves that power affordable wireless Internet. And by forcing you to keep their bundles, the old cable package bundle, keeping independent media out of reach. Trump and Republicans in Congress have a huge chance right now to get this right by making more spectrum available and breaking the big cables stranglehold on your information. You gotta tell your senator and your member of Congress to work with President Trump, sell more spectrum and make sure that you can hear programs like the ruthless variety program. Fellas, let's start with this government shutdown thing. Let me just preface this by saying if you followed anything about politics since the moment Donald Trump was inaugurated, you come to the conclusion that there's not a single pitch Democrats have not swung at. It doesn't matter how shitty the pitch. It could hit halfway between the mound and the plate and they are swinging away, right? Usaid. Oh, it's then it's the invasion of Normandy. You know, any sort of budget issue, like the worst kind of trans studies in Tanzania. Oh my God, it's a constitutional crisis.

[John Ashbrook]

Because they're entirely captured by the, by the far left wing base. It's the reason why they lost the election back in November. You know, they had to defend things like men playing in women's sports. Right. Like, like because they're captured by their far left base. They have to swing at every pitch because everything's an outrage to those people.

[Josh Holmes]

Totally.

[John Ashbrook]

And so if they're the elected representatives of these people, they have to take a swing at every pitch.

[Josh Holmes]

And they're so fraudulent and they're so fake that every single one of them, it doesn't have any political skin in the game, in the moment, leaves government and like, shows up in Bill Maher. Like Jon Tester we were just talking about.

[John Ashbrook]

It's so funny.

[Josh Holmes]

And he's like, oh my God, it makes no sense to have men playing women's sport. The guy was a fucking co sponsor of the bill that ensured that men could play women's sports.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

And then he's sitting there talking like, oh, yeah, Democrats have lost their damn mind. Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think this is a really important thing to really highlight, to focus in on is because even elected Democrats know how nuts their platform is, but they don't have the integrity or the courage to say it until they're out of the game.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, totally.

[Comfortably Smug]

Like Jon Tester, prime example. The guy co authored the bill to have men play in women's sports. And as soon as he's out, he's like, can you believe Democrats do this?

[John Ashbrook]

Oh, look, I found religion.

[Josh Holmes]

Can you believe it?

[Comfortably Smug]

These people, elected Democrats believe in nothing. These people are absolute nihilists. They stand for nothing. Which is why they're getting beat so much, why they're swinging at every pitch. Because the far left completely controls where they can be at every issue.

[Michael Duncan]

Listen, smug. I beg to differ. They do stand for something. And every press secretary for every terrorist organization who has a green card in this country will have their voice heard, thanks to Rashida Tlaib and Democrats. She's the leader of their party. Everybody's like, oh, who leads Democrats? Rashida Tlai.

[Comfortably Smug]

Dude, you're not wrong.

[Josh Holmes]

It's true. But you know, you get these podcasts with like, Gavin Newsom's doing this thing where he had, you know, he's Charlie.

[Comfortably Smug]

On and Bannon on.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Like he invites them all in and he basically like sits there and pretends like he's a normal human being. Like, this is a dude who is literally incarcerating people for walking on the beach four years ago. I mean, literally incarcerating people for walking on the beach while he's having dinner at French Laundry. And now he like, invites.

[John Ashbrook]

Now I'm a straight shooter. Yeah, I'm gonna tell you how it is.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Right. So he's trying to do the politics thing, except the governing thing. They're left wing lunatics. And so how that translates into the Federal government. You have a bunch of, like, schmos, just absolute losers. Like, Chuck Schumer is a perfect example of this, right? He's swinging at every pitch. He can't control his caucus. We saw it during the State of the Union where they're like, oh, please don't embarrass us in front like this. The one thing where everybody watches, like, please just don't embarrass. And then, of course, they all embarrass. And then, like, they just pretend like it didn't happen. And they're like, on to the next. On to the next. And they're like, okay, well, what's the next? The next is a bill that funds the federal government. Now, you may. It may sound like a big deal because it funds the federal government. Everything, you know, from Social Security checks on down to your Armed forces paychecks all through the federal government, even the lights on in the Capitol, is all funded by this bill. It's not that big a deal in large part because it is the work that Democrats failed to do last year. The only reason this is coming up in March. The fiscal year runs September 30 through September 30. The only reason that we're dealing with this in March of 2025 is that Democrats couldn't actually do their jobs. Even at the basic level, they couldn't do their jobs. And so now this is coming up in the first three months of a Trump administration. And the Trump administration, wisely, along with House Republicans who passed a bill this very week to deal with it, have said, look, this is junk. It's crap stuff left over from the next administration. We have a lot of work to do to change this country. Just get this junk off our plate. No raises in spending will cap it. Which in and of itself, believe it or not, is a huge victory for a conservative point of view from a federal government standpoint, because spending increases every year. They just cap the thing, kick it to September 30, and use the intervening time to change things like, I don't know, your tax rates, things that make a substantial difference in the economy, things like incorporating what Doge is doing and Elon is finding, and they have the intervening time to actually implement that stuff. It's beyond a finding which Doge is doing right now and actually implementing a change. They got six months to do it. And they wisely decided, like, okay, we're going to just kick this can to September 30th and do the work that was intended to do for a new president when they're elected. Their first fiscal year is next year. It is in September 30th. That is what you work on from inauguration to September 30th. They've got a lot of ideas. We've heard a lot of them. Democrats hate every single one of them. But they're going to try their level best to try to implement these things. This intervening bullshit is just a bunch of junk that Washington deals with every single time. Nobody can do their job. Which is an annual experience. Right.

[Comfortably Smug]

Which happens frequently, sadly.

[Josh Holmes]

So Democrats have taken this discussion and been like, okay, well usaid. Boy, we hate what's happening there. Boy, we hate what's happening with the Department of Education. Boy, we. None of that reflected in what they're talking about with this CR that goes to September 30th. They're like, yeah, but Trump wants it, so we don't. Maybe we should shut the government down. These bunch of idiots. I'm not kidding you. They might be the dumbest fuck people I've ever met in my entire. Like I have no idea what they could possibly be thinking. Remember we talked about this last week when we were talking about the State of the Union and you were like, you have to try to convince your caucus that at some point there's going to be something worth fighting for. And, and you can't spend yourself expend all your political capital on shit that doesn't matter in order to reserve it for stuff that does. They don't have any of that. And so now, I don't know, maybe they have the balls to shut the government down over a Biden budget. Like, think about this, fellas.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's pretty amazing.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, what are they. This is. I don't know if they're. Do you think they have the balls to do it?

[Michael Duncan]

I think they are brain dead enough to try. Wow. You know, you look at in the House, I was actually, I was very impressed that the House got that bill passed.

[Josh Holmes]

Me too.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

And you saw Jared golden. He's a Democrat from Maine. He sees the writing on the wall. He knows that this midterm is not going to be the same old midterm that we've always seen year in and year out. And he knows that he has to figure out a way. He's a Democrat. He's got to figure out a way to work with Republicans in some respect. I don't think that his counterparts in the Senate have any clue about what it's going to take.

[John Ashbrook]

I think the Democrats are going to find a third way. If you Will.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, this is this, and this is the crux and the meat of this.

[John Ashbrook]

Conversation where you kind of have to placate your far left base that you rely on for votes and donations and all those fundraising emails and text messages you want them to respond to, you gotta prove to them that you're fighting Donald Trump. But at the end of the day, you don't want to be the party that shut down the federal government over.

[Josh Holmes]

Over nothing. So they're literally have zero articulated reasons for doing this.

[John Ashbrook]

And I think we're gonna talk about it later in the show, but I think they're looking for an escape hatch in all of this.

[Josh Holmes]

They have identified one. We have identified it, and you cannot wait for our commentary.

[John Ashbrook]

It's so good.

[Josh Holmes]

It is. It's just so good. It's just such a perfect thing. We. I mean, I almost want to jump right to it, but I don't want to do that because we have an important thing. There's two things that we got to get to. One is that Wolf. Fellas, Wolf is our resident. You know, this guy ran logistics in Afghanistan.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

So I got my hands on this for us, did the hard work.

[Josh Holmes]

And we talked about this last episode, about how they were tearing up BLM Plaza.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

What Wolf has done has gone. He's gone out and he has secured a piece of BLM Plaza with one of the. Do we know whether it's the black. The lives or the matter pieces? This came out of the letter R. Oh, this was. This came out of the Met. So right at the end at matter.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Right at the.

[John Ashbrook]

Very close to the White House.

[Michael Duncan]

Wow.

[Josh Holmes]

A very important piece of historical. How did you frame this?

[John Ashbrook]

The dumbest period in history.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yes.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. Own a piece of the dumbest period in history. It's. It's wonderful. I will. So, you know, people might look at this and say, oh, my gosh. You know, the liberal journalists or the people at Media Matters who listen to this podcast religiously so they can take things out of context and try to get outraged by it, they would say, this. This is cruel. They would be like, oh, gosh, you're going to take a brick from BLM Plaza. You must hate black people. And it's like, no, I love black people. This is nothing to do with that. The reality is, taking this brick is not cruel. What you put our country through during that period of time, the dumbest period of time in American history was cruel when you put a mask on my son in nursery school. But you had epidemiologists on CNN saying it's safe to go protest in downtown D.C. and burn. Burn cars in front of our office here every single day.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

That was cruel.

[Josh Holmes]

We couldn't get to our office.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

In large part because a shakedown racket known as Black Lives Matter, of which the top tippity top of the organizations were buying homes in Beverly Hills.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Off of the contributions on Act Blue, I might add, from donations across this country of people who thought like, well, you know, maybe. Maybe this is an issue that we should be a part of. And they took the money and then they plastered their name on 16th Street.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

16Th street of Washington, D.C. the center of the nation's capital. Might I remind you the White House's address is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, 16th Street.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

Right. On the other side of Lafayette Square. They put this Black Lives Matter, which is an organization that was essentially a shakedown racket, was exposed as much, was a corruption outfit, and they put their name on there and pretended like it was a civil rights movement.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

Meanwhile, they shut down all of our offices. We couldn't get to it in large part for the first month because there was a fricking violent protest out front. Molotov cocktails and shattering windows and everything else. And then pretended like that was the safe space. But my child in preschool had to wear a mask if they could go to school at all.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. And so, like, if you lived in a sane part of the United States during this period of time in 2020 and 2021, God bless you. But we did not. And so we're relishing this. We really enjoy it. It's like, you know, the Japanese seize the flags of their enemies and that's what we're doing here.

[Josh Holmes]

That's what this is.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, but I think what the last five years have told us is what the Democrat Party actually is. It's not. It's not a political party. It is a collection of left wing NGOs with consultants at the top who are taking their cut and are just waiting for their opportunity to walk away.

[Josh Holmes]

They want to monetize. They want to monetize the emotional destabilization.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

Of an electorate that is a. Like a base.

[John Ashbrook]

Failure is the point. We always say failure is the point. The destruction of our country is the point. They want it to be worse on purpose so they can be the solution.

[Josh Holmes]

It's true.

[Michael Duncan]

And I do like when Democrats are down. Please do not get me wrong. I'm as partisan as they come, but I look at politics like I look at sports. I want an opponent who is healthy enough to put up a good fight every single game.

[John Ashbrook]

What do you think about this guy?

[Josh Holmes]

What do you think about that?

[Comfortably Smug]

This is a guy who's pals with journalists.

[Josh Holmes]

Of course.

[Michael Duncan]

Course.

[Comfortably Smug]

I want them broken. I want him to look like this brick. Broken and held up as a trophy of war. Yeah. Hell yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

Hell yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, look, we did an episode last week. Is this the end of the Democratic Party? It sure looks like it.

[John Ashbrook]

Now we own a piece.

[Josh Holmes]

We own a piece. We own a piece. You know, I mean, it just. Dude, it's hard. Anyway, well, look, we've got that. Thank you. For all of you who've invested in the new merch line, Gaza Riviera, some attention. Turns out very popular. People love it. A lot of popular stuff with the Gaza Riviera merch. This is our new golf gear. It's golf season. You got to go get out and get it. I understand it's a little expensive. We're going to provide some options that are a little bit lower in price. But we had this, like, unique opportunity to do a super high end.

[John Ashbrook]

It's very, it's very, very high end. And as, as the person who's breaking his knuckles, sewing every stitch in every quarter zip, I want to assure you, dear listener and viewer, this merch is of the highest quality.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

And so that price point, although it is a little high, I will admit it's worth it.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, and it's, it comes out of the blood, sweat and tears out of Michael Duncan.

[John Ashbrook]

That's right.

[Josh Holmes]

There's no question about that. You can go to store dot ruthlesspodcast, dot get yours now. I would recommend doing that. I've got a golf vacation in the works. Hopefully multiple. Where I'm going to buy the whole crew.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Stuff.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, it's, it's, it's been huge. A lot of people have gotten their, their gear. I would just emphasize, like, get it in now. Because at some point, in the words of Donald Trump, we're going to have to shut this down so we can figure out what's going on.

[Josh Holmes]

Well said. Well said. All right, so when we come back, we're going to give you more about these democr activists, how they are inspiring leadership across the Democratic Party. Are they going to shut the government down? We're going to explore all of that, including their justification, which you will die laughing about because I know we did right after this.

[Michael Duncan]

Hey, aren't you that PBM middleman?

[John Ashbrook]

At your service, doctor.

[Josh Holmes]

Don't you get rebates that save money?

[Michael Duncan]

On medicines.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, PBMs like me get big rebates.

[Michael Duncan]

So why do patients tell me they're.

[Josh Holmes]

Worried about their costs?

[Michael Duncan]

No one says we have to share.

[Comfortably Smug]

The savings with patients.

[Josh Holmes]

Congress should make sure medicine savings go directly to patients, not middlemen. Visit phrma.org middlemen to learn more. Paid for by PhRMA. Okay, so you might ask yourself, why in the hell would Democrats walk themselves into a box canyon by shutting the government down over no real articulated reason other than Donald Trump is president? That's all they've got.

[John Ashbrook]

So funny.

[Josh Holmes]

And like, you know, in a healthy political party, what you would say to your members is, I understand you're angry about all this stuff, but, like, this is a continuing resolution, Right? Meaning it's the funding that was approved during the Biden administration that just reaches back as it was initially intended, through the rest of the fiscal year till September 30th. So there's like, no real difference. If they would wanted to do something about that, they had to do something about it last year.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

And yet they can't argue that, like, their people are so unhinged. It's the same people with the bingo paddles. The. The right that were doing the thing during the State of the Union. You can't actually explain. Explain reason right to these.

[John Ashbrook]

Or, like, you might be able to point out to them, I don't know. We lost the House, we lost the Senate, we lost the presidency in November.

[Josh Holmes]

Maybe we should reshuffle the.

[John Ashbrook]

Can everyone just be normal for two minutes? Yeah. Right.

[Michael Duncan]

No, they can't. It's very. It's very, very simple. And I'll quote back to the future. They're idiots. Their parents are probably idiots, too. He's an idiot. Comes from upbringing. Parents are probably idiots, too.

[Comfortably Smug]

The board's back.

[Josh Holmes]

Is back.

[John Ashbrook]

The board is back.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, the return of the board. I love that. Okay, so they're getting desperate. And leaders within the Democratic Party, I think, probably understand how insane this is, but they can't articulate it. They can't say, like, we are literally driving our party. The last two votes that we've taken were to put, as you said, LeBron James in the WNBA.

[Michael Duncan]

Key issue of our time. You know, if that's what he wants, that's what he should get. If he wants to put on a wig and a skirt and dunk over Caitlin Clark.

[John Ashbrook]

Okay, maybe. Maybe they should put Bronnie there. He'd play a little better. Yeah, good shot.

[Comfortably Smug]

Bronnie in the WNBA so he can succeed.

[Josh Holmes]

Wow.

[Comfortably Smug]

Violence on the program.

[John Ashbrook]

You know, it's good. When Smug says it's me, he always like, oh.

[Josh Holmes]

And then the previous vote was to make sure that we never punished people who make crime, illegal immigrants who commit crimes within the United States. Like, these are their standout votes over the last six weeks. And now here they are, they're like, yeah, we're gonna shut the government down. They're like, why? They're like, so Democrats can't just say like, that's dumb. Like, this is stupid. Let's not do that. There's gonna be many big fights that we have principles on that we need to articulate to the American people. They have to round about it and they go like, Angus King, I think Michael is the one that you've highlighted who has an argument that I find completely hilarious.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. So he has the funniest one. And this is the sort of mental gymnastics they're trying to work their radical left wing base through all the stages of grief. You know that, like, we lost the election, we lost the House, we lost the Senate, we lost the presidency. So how is it that I can get out of this? I'm Angus King. I'm a senator who claims to be independent, but caucus with the Democrats and vote for every left wing lunatic thing they want to do. All right, well, I'm going to say is we're going to actually vote for the continuing resolution. And the reason why is if we shut down the government, it's going to give Elon Musk a free hand to fire more federal workers. And we can't have that. So we are holding the line by voting for Donald Trump's bill.

[Josh Holmes]

That's what he wants. That's what essentially it is. Right. That's what he wants.

[John Ashbrook]

Hysterical.

[Josh Holmes]

It's the most amazing bank shot because they can't just be like, boy, this is really stupid. You guys are idiots.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

They have to be like, no, if you don't go along with what they want to do, it's what they really want to do.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

And the person responsible for executing us here is Elon Musk.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, what. These people are so dumb. It is, it is like it, it blows my mind, the stupidity. Every once in a while you get just like a view. And having spent a lot of time out of the dome, I understand how this works, of just how insulated the discussion chamber is.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

When everybody's just talking to each other and they realize that, like, well, if I say Elon Musk.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

That'll get some kind of receptivity within my party.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

Like it doesn't matter whether the logic connects. Like underpants. No shit, though.

[John Ashbrook]

They're just like, all right, all right. Our voters, you know, they really hate Donald Trump. Who's the only other person they might hate as much as him? Elon Musk.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, let's say it.

[John Ashbrook]

Okay, so I'm gonna vote for what Donald Trump wants, and I'm gonna say it's actually Elon Musk's fault. That. That. That will keep our voters happy.

[Josh Holmes]

Like, there's a grand plan for Donald Trump to endorse a piece of legislation, because his real grand plan is for Elon Musk to run roughshod over everything Democrats want if, in case they don't go along with what it is they originally.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, but they kind of have to, like. I actually feel bad for the Senate Democrats in this conundrum, which is like, their. Their base is like. So all these people are such lunatics that they have to invent this in their mind palace, this idea that they're saving the country from Elon Musk by keeping the government open with, you know, essentially, like, Joe Biden stuff.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, right.

[John Ashbrook]

Like. Like, they have to claim victory in that because their own base wants them to, quote, unquote, hold the line.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

There's this piece that was up in MSNBC that. That's literally the title is that Senate Democrats have to Senate Democrat.

[Josh Holmes]

Here's the title. Senate Democrats need to hold strong against Trump's Purse snatching.

[John Ashbrook]

Purse snatching?

[Josh Holmes]

Purse snatching. It's their fucking budget, you dumb shit.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's amazing.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, it is just. It's so unbelievable to me.

[Michael Duncan]

And it's all they. So they see that and they're like, yes, we do need to hold strong. You know what I mean?

[Josh Holmes]

It's all they read, except for they have, like, what, like a dozen other people that read it with them.

[John Ashbrook]

Dude, this thing has, like, 10 fucking hyperlinks in it, okay? So that's like the logic of holding the line and shutting down the government. They actually have a thing here from New York Magazine. It says. I'll just read from. From the piece on msnbc. The GOP has set a trap for Senate Democrats. They set a trap.

[Josh Holmes]

Trap.

[Michael Duncan]

Be fooled.

[John Ashbrook]

Hey, the trap was winning the whole election. Okay, all right, all right. The GOP had set a trap for Senate Democrats. As New York magazine's Ed Kilgore put it, Voting for a continuing resolution. They don't like or be blamed by Republicans. Hypocritically so.

[Josh Holmes]

Hypocritically so.

[John Ashbrook]

Of course, for causing a government shutdown. House Democrats remained united, save one crossover. Oh, so now it's now Benedict Arnold. It's now up to Senate Democrats to hold the line and oppose the GOP's turning the treasury into a slush fund for the Trump administration.

[Josh Holmes]

Just think about how brain damage you need to do to come up. The next line is actually even better for me. I don't advocate for the filibuster lightly. Oh, you don't, you don't say. But with the Constitution under attack, The Constitution, this is a continuing resolution.

[John Ashbrook]

This is literally nothing like some Louise Mentz shit where she's like, steve Bannon, I'm being told, is going to be executed by the marshal of the Supreme Court. I am, I am pro life and I take no pleasure in reporting this.

[Josh Holmes]

But with the Constitution under attack, Democrats should use it as a weapon. They should explain to the American people that as the Constitution makes clear, the decision on how to spend their tax dollars should remain with the Congress they've elected. Hold on. That's the Congress. It's the Congress that's doing it.

[John Ashbrook]

Right?

[Josh Holmes]

Like, what the hell are they talking about? This is somebody, like, who is this clown?

[John Ashbrook]

I don't know. It's somebody at msnbc.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, the thing is, is that. So this is a really kind of, I wouldn't say dangerous place that the Democrats have found themselves in. It's dangerous for their own party's existence. But there's been, like, if you look at the discussion that's happening online among elected Democrats, among, like, the top kind of like left leaning journals, which is all of them online, there's this like, groundswell of do something. Like, Democrats have to do something. Meaning, like, any action that they take is the correct action. And they weren't satisfied with, like, holding, like, Democrats holding up little paddles like they're like at an auction during, during Trump's speech. They're not, like, the only thing they were happy about is they're like that dude with the cane who stood up and shouted and had to be removed. That's the kind of shit we want. They're like, it doesn't need to have any value or meaning or accomplish anything or any of their goals get across the finish line as long as something happens. So in their book, like, yeah, just filibustering, this is some action. Shutting down the government and having everyone blame the Democrats for it. They're like, that's doing something. So it's like any action that they take, as long as it's something, even if it's shooting themselves in the foot because they love that lately. That's an action. Shoot yourself in the foot 10 times in a row and be like, look at that. I did something.

[Josh Holmes]

Look what I've done. I've harmed myself and rebelled. I can no longer stand, but I've done it. I mean, the thing is, if you boil this down for practitioners in the field, you get this immediately. But for those of you who just sort of follow this for a sport or because you feel like, you know, you've got skin in the game here, which we all do. The larger part of this is you don't win national elections based on like the furthest reaches of your party on Twitter, on X. Like you just don't. I mean that's an important base mobilization. People have used it effectively. I think Republicans have used it incredibly effectively. I'm not diminishing its impact. But what I am saying is these people are responsive only to that. They're only responsive. Like, can you imagine? You're talking about primetime MSNBC. We're in a country of 330 million people and there's 250,000 people who tune into this bullshit on a night to night basis. And yet all of them are reading this as though it's giving them their playbook for how to deal with Congress.

[Michael Duncan]

This is the map.

[John Ashbrook]

They're entirely held hostage by a very vocal minority. Americans. I mean like smug. You're sort of joking about like I'm going to like hammer myself and ruin my body. And you know, like, like that's the Democratic Party of today. This is a party that too late realized that Joe Biden didn't have it anymore. Yeah, right. Everybody knew it. They obviously knew it. They just didn't want to admit to themselves. And what was their solution? Kamala Harris.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

You know, like this is tried to.

[Josh Holmes]

Pretend like they would choose the second.

[John Ashbrook]

Like this is a party that's perfectly comfortable with losing on purpose.

[Michael Duncan]

Here's the thing. They thought they could get away with it.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

Because they've gotten away with everything for so long. The media just gives them a pass after pass after pass. Their entire party is built on fiction that's created by media that only writes what they want them to write. And so it lulls them into this false sense of security and they can't talk to norm. Normal people.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, they've erected the barriers for real change that would make this country great. That are so sturdy that they thought they never really had to defend it.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Like they basically could run a invalid and then Run somebody. They spent the previous three and a half years telling you how stupid she was.

[John Ashbrook]

And then all of a sudden, they themselves.

[Josh Holmes]

They themselves.

[John Ashbrook]

The same journalists.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. And then they're like, oh, my God, she's brilliant. And she's. She's the second coming.

[Michael Duncan]

Here's $1.5 billion.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Because of these barriers that they've erected. And, like, you know, you take this just in the issues that we're dealing with right now, okay, well, let's talk tariffs, for example. Has anybody really sat down and thought, well, I don't know, there is incredible trade imbalance across this world since World War II about what America gets versus what we import and the tariffs that are levied against American exports. And, like, a lot of people have talked about lip service throughout the ages. Right. New trade deals, all these things. You know, Democrats have been great, like unions and, oh, yeah, we're gonna do something about that. They never do. And part of the reason that they don't do anything about it is because it takes somebody to actually levy something that creates the conversation, because you have a totally unresponsive global community, because they're getting a great deal out of it.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

You can talk about it all you want, but if you're not gonna do anything about it, I'm not gonna give a shit.

[Michael Duncan]

In America, thus far, has never done anything about it. And now you have a president who is retaliating, and you have a media who is acting like he's going too far. What I think everybody needs to remember, every time you read a story from a major news outlet in this country, who frames it as EU or Canada retaliates against America, you need to remember that they already had tariffs against us. And the only thing Trump is trying to do is even the score. And then you need to remember that the entity writing the story is a multinational corporation with interests that span the globe. Their interests are different from your interests. And what President Trump is trying to do is stick up for your interests.

[Josh Holmes]

And here's the other thing. What they use as a data point that goes beyond their opinion is Wall street, the markets. Right, right. Which are inherently agnostic to how you give a shit about anything. They're agnostic to your job, they're agnostic to your way of living there. You know, it's marginally better for them if you're doing better because you can invest and do whatever, but, like, largely, it doesn't matter as long as the global community is still producing and they're still growing and they're still doing whatever. That's what it's built on. Like, don't look to Wall street as an example of something where they've taken a point of view on the well being of the American worker. They just don't give a shit. But don't feel bad about that.

[Michael Duncan]

Right?

[Josh Holmes]

That's the way that's worked. That's just how it works. Right. But they use that as a data point to be like, well, the markets aren't responding, markets are going down, markets are doing this, markets are doing that. And it's like, I don't know, we levied a 50% tariff on Canada and the markets tanked. And then by like 2:00 of the same day that it happened, Canada comes to the. To the President is like, all right, we need to work something out here. Now we have a discussion. And that's my whole point, the preface of the whole piece is that they've erected these barriers to the conversation in and of itself that like, well, the markets are the steadfast.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, guidepost. And that's my favorite thing in this whole discussion is for four years in the first Trump administration, we were told that the stock market isn't the economy. Every Democrat in this country was like, wow, you know, that's good for Donald Trump's rich friends on Wall street, but not good for the American worker. And it's like, okay, fine, two months into Donald Trump's second term, they're like, oh, my God, Wall Street.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

Wall street is the center, the heart of the American economy. It's going down. What is Donald Trump doing?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, the beloved tech sector, which they spent like the last two and a half years.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, exactly.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, so all of these things, but then, you know, take it to a spending thing. It's like, okay, how do we get $36 trillion in debt? I don't know. First time you try to cut this, like, very mediocre small agency that has, you know, very little to do with the interests of the taxpayers of the American people. They act like it's the Normandy invasion.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

And then the media dutifully reports that it is the Normandy invasion. And then you have Chuck Schumer and these clowns standing out front acting as though it is. And like they're not used to the ruthless variety program. They're not used to you as the listener getting your information elsewhere.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

They're not used to the real story and they don't know what to do about it.

[Michael Duncan]

And over time, it's created a culture in our own government. That we pay for at the State Department, usaid. One comment that really, really sticks out to me is something that Marco Rubio said when he started clear cutting a lot of the people at USAID and at the State Department, he said that these people think that they work for the globe. And he's like, no, you work for America. Your responsibility isn't to some other country first. Your responsibility is to America first. And that whole way of thinking that it shifted to this like global outlook and not paying attention to America has really done damage to our country. And all President Trump and his administration are doing right now is resetting that so that they pay attention.

[Josh Holmes]

It's really well said. It's exactly right. So the capstone of the conversation is that's why they think they can shut the government down. Because it's always been the Republicans fault. No matter who's in charge, no matter who's in what. They've erected these media institutions and all these things that protect them. What they don't understand, it ain't so anymore. And so our question of the day for all of you is are the Democrats all talk here or are they going to actually shut it down?

[Comfortably Smug]

Good question.

[Josh Holmes]

Do they have the balls to actually pull the trigger on this thing? I don't know. We just, you just heard us talk about all of it. But I'll be interested in your opinion. We're going to get to that and then we'll read to you. By the way, the question from Tuesday's episode, Wild Banger Wild, the question was what are the fake names? If you had an ActBlue account.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

What are the fake names you would use?

[John Ashbrook]

Yes.

[Josh Holmes]

Very creative stuff out of the minions. We'll get to all of that right after this. Hard working Americans know when it's time to roll up our sleeves and get the job done. Now is the time to unleash our nation's energy to create jobs, secure our future and make life better, more affordable and full of opportunity for all Americans. That's the power of America's oil and natural gas. Learn [e-mail] paid for by the American Petroleum Institute. All right, so we had a little bit of a provocative question of the day and I don't know if we realized how provocative it actually was.

[John Ashbrook]

Oh, we knew what we should have. Yeah, we knew what we were doing.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, we probably did. We probably did. But we covered on Tuesday's episode the straw donor allegations against Act Blue and whether or not this is a money laundering operation and a part of that is the names that would be associated with donors that were giving untold millions to Democrats. And our question was, if you had a name that you wanted to put on a straw donor list, what would that name be? What would that name be? Your comments are terrific. Remember on YouTube you got to like and subscribe. Add your comments and add anything in that you want. Your comments here. 10 of 10. Let's start with a voice.

[Michael Duncan]

That's right. And Mrs. Duncan, if you're listening to this segment, this is the moment where you might hit that skip button because her first comment comes all the way from eighth grade. And Derek Riley. And Derek Riley offers this as his act Blue name. He says act Blue name is Gabe owners. It's from Derek Riley all the way junior high.

[Josh Holmes]

Gay boners. Gay boners. That's. That's what we. That's brand new.

[John Ashbrook]

I mean, look, that's brand new.

[Josh Holmes]

I, I mean, I felt like I knew all of these gay boners.

[Michael Duncan]

I thought I knew them too.

[John Ashbrook]

I don't care if you're 8 or 80. Dick. Dick jokes are funny.

[Michael Duncan]

They are.

[John Ashbrook]

They're just funny.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay, that's good. That's good. Runks, what do we got for comment two?

[John Ashbrook]

This is from M. My Act Blue name, Pete O'File. I'm not saying all Demps know and like him, but let's just say he's more welcome on Blue sky and Reddit than anywhere else.

[Michael Duncan]

My God. Absolute blast.

[John Ashbrook]

It's so good.

[Josh Holmes]

All right, Smuggles, what do we got for the third?

[Comfortably Smug]

This is from Chris Bledel. And Chris writes phone book names, slash strawman donors. Dixon cider.

[John Ashbrook]

That's a classic.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh my God.

[Michael Duncan]

Whether you're eight or 80.

[John Ashbrook]

They'Re just always funny.

[Josh Holmes]

I might make a dinner reservation tonight with Dixon Cider. You gotta go someplace though, where they call it. They're like cider. Yeah, cider. Dixon cider.

[Michael Duncan]

Imagine the maitre d on that one.

[Josh Holmes]

Holy smokes. All right, so listen, when we come back, Trump bought a car this week. Do you guys know that?

[Michael Duncan]

I did.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, he brought. Bought a car. There was a hell of a spectacle outside in the South Lawn. Pretty funny. Democrats lost their minds over it. Our stranded astronauts are finally coming home as well, which is fascinating. All right, so listen, I find this completely fascinating to me because we have, it's been a long tradition within the White House where a president goes out and frequently is seen with and is help marketing American made, American job produced products. Right? You had, just a short time ago you had Biden out in like a jeep.

[Comfortably Smug]

Whatever and didn't you have like a Corvette out there too?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, Corvette out there. He had a whole bunch of, you know, but every president does it at some level. Well, what happened is that Donald Trump had a Tesla situation. Now because of the convergence of Elon Musk, this administration and what he's doing with Doge, there becomes a problem. Now the backdrop of this is that you have left wing psychopaths around this country firebombing Tesla dealerships, attacking people who are driving Teslas and trying to make it like literally just a vigilante war against Elon Musk because he told a couple of government workers they got to go home. Right. So Trump sees that, responds and is like no American made product here in the backyard. I'm going to buy one on the South Lawn, which I absolutely love. Can we get clip one, please?

[E]

This is a different panel than I've had. Everything's computer people should be going wild and they love the product. But because he's finding all sorts of terrible things that have taken place against our country, they want to penalize him in a economic sense and I just think that's very unfair. So I just wanted to make a statement. I'm going to buy one. Now here's the bad news. I'm not allowed to drive because if I haven't driven a car in a long time, and I love to drive cars, but I'm going to have it at the White House and I'm going to let my staff use it. I'm going to let people at the place use it.

[John Ashbrook]

Hell yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay, first we want to use it.

[John Ashbrook]

We want to use it.

[Josh Holmes]

We want to use it. We're going to call Carolyn. We're going to make a request. He would be very ill advised to allow us to use it.

[John Ashbrook]

No, we'll treat it well.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, we will. We'll treat it well. But we're going to ask, I mean he said the people like around the White House can ask and like this guy sitting in the press.

[Comfortably Smug]

Which one? I think he said he wanted the one that like.

[Michael Duncan]

Yes.

[John Ashbrook]

The plaid version. It has the ludicrous mode.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's the one.

[John Ashbrook]

You can go fast. It's like I want to 60 under two seconds.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

While you're commenting on the question of the day, also throw in there like a drive it.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Because I, I feel like, I feel like we need some fan interact people if this is going to happen. People need to will it.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. We need to manifest it. We do that frequently here in the variety program.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

And that's the thing is like, it is like, I don't know if it's a law or guidance or whatever, but like sitting in. Even former presidents are not allowed to drive because for numerous reasons, security reasons, and then also like liability reasons and whatever. But let Trump ride shotgun. Have like one of the secret. Because like Secret Service people are trained to drive under like crazy ass situations.

[Josh Holmes]

You think they would allow one of us to drive a car with Trump sitting shotgun?

[Comfortably Smug]

Here's the thing is. Let me, let me in the back. Secret Service guy driving Trump shotgun. Put that thing in ludicrous mode.

[Michael Duncan]

Wait, wait, wait. Hold, hold on a minute. The President of the United States.

[Comfortably Smug]

Let's see what the United States is.

[Michael Duncan]

In the front and you're in the back.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

And they're driving you.

[John Ashbrook]

Ye.

[Comfortably Smug]

Throw that in ludicrous mode. Let's see what it does.

[Josh Holmes]

Only smug can concoct the version of reality where he's the one that's.

[Comfortably Smug]

This would be a great time driving this Daisy.

[John Ashbrook]

But it's smug in the back.

[Comfortably Smug]

Everyone have a great time.

[Michael Duncan]

Turn here, Mr. President.

[Josh Holmes]

No, but we want a shot at this thing. Well, anyway, the left loses their mind, right? Because it's like a Tesla commercial. And I got, look, I speak for a lot of our listeners. I like the fact that Elon looks. I love Elon. I love Doge. I love everything he's doing. I'm not wild about electric cars.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, no, I don't like him either.

[Josh Holmes]

I'm never going to buy a Tesla. I mean, I wouldn't say never, but certainly not at this point in my life. Like, I like my gas powered car. I just like it. And I don't see myself ever moving off of that.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

But like, I can understand why a guy's out there promoting it. And certainly under the circumstances where they're attempting to bankrupt Tesla just because of his proximity to the government, I might.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, you might buy one. The prices on them is pretty good. Like, cars have gotten super expensive.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

Super expensive over the past few years. And like the deals you can get on Tesla because like, also there's a bunch of libs who like bought a Tesla a year or two ago and now they're like, I'm gonna just dump this thing at any price. So like grabbing some soccer mom's Tesla for like 90% off doesn't seem like a bad idea to me.

[Josh Holmes]

Imagine being so brain dead that you're like, my car purchase needs to reflect my politics.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, that's.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, think about what you would have As a conservative, if like the music you like, the movies you watched, the stuff that you did only had to reflect like one point of view. And yet that's the way these people operate.

[Michael Duncan]

It's a terrible way to live.

[Josh Holmes]

God, these people, that's the reason why hopefully they'll be in the minority for a long, long period of time anyway. Well, while all that's happening, Elon's like fucking around and trying to figure out how to rescue two people that have been stuck in space since June.

[Comfortably Smug]

Got a lot of jobs, he's got a lot of jobs.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean he's cutting government, he's making cars. And then by the way, like NASA can't figure out how to bring two people down from space. And so Elon to the rescue Space X rocket headed to the space station to bring home stranded astronauts. This is clip two, please.

[Comfortably Smug]

Arriving in Florida.

[Josh Holmes]

NASA SpaceX Crew 10 preparing to launch to the space station on a six month rotation.

[F]

We've been working a long time to be ready for launch and we are very, very excited to be here.

[Josh Holmes]

A mission that will also allow Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to come home.

[Comfortably Smug]

Nine months after leaving Earth.

[Josh Holmes]

It was last June 5th when Sonny.

[Comfortably Smug]

And Butch launched on a brand new.

[Josh Holmes]

Boeing Starliner spaceship for a 10 day mission.

[Comfortably Smug]

But Starliner soon developed helium leaks and engine thruster problems.

[Michael Duncan]

737 Starliner wasn't safe.

[Comfortably Smug]

NASA ordered Wilmore and Williams to stay on the station.

[Josh Holmes]

So I mean look, we've covered this story before, but there are essentially two Americans that have been stuck in space under the understanding they were going to be there for 10 days. They've been there for eight months. And so Elon is going to go up.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's that Boeing quality. I mean like, oh Jesus, how did they get away with this shit? How did they go away with this shit?

[Michael Duncan]

It's a great question.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean like their rockets suck, their planes suck. This is insane. Elon, listen, and here's the, here's the, here's the really sad part, this is tragic is Elon could take a look at how much money Boeing gets out of taxpayers for failing over and over and over. And the media and dems will be like, oh, he's just doing this because he's got SpaceX and he's trying to cut out a competitor. He's got a product that works.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, he's going to, he's going to get this thing.

[Comfortably Smug]

He's having to go clean up after another Boeing mess.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

How about you being on a Southwest 737 Max. Never sound like a good idea.

[Comfortably Smug]

Never going to happen.

[Josh Holmes]

I like never going to.

[John Ashbrook]

I think when you have a kid. I'm going to book you. I'm gonna book you a flight.

[Comfortably Smug]

Not. Not happening.

[Josh Holmes]

Triple seats. Let's get the whole family involved. 737 Max. Plenty of leg room.

[John Ashbrook]

Boarding group D right across from the.

[Comfortably Smug]

Do they legit boarding groups? It really is like now just like they open the door and it's like, get in there. Animals. I really think that. Is that right? And like everyone's mad at Southwest now because they're trying to have some rules. Disgusting.

[Josh Holmes]

Disgusting people to read about. The thing with the 11 of 12 clogged toilets on the. On the thing.

[Comfortably Smug]

This is honestly, airline travel has become just horrendous.

[John Ashbrook]

People throwing diapers and rags into the toilets.

[Comfortably Smug]

Apparently I am million. I agree with you. 100 homes. It's become too accessible.

[Josh Holmes]

It's too accessible. It's too accessible. But listen, we got a big game coming up. It's our signature offering here at the Ruthless variety program. It's King of the Hill. I, for the first time in five weeks, will not be a participant because Sherry Mushari went down at the hands of Rick Wilson.

[John Ashbrook]

Rickending champion. I'm bringing back Rick Wilson and Ashbrook is playing against me. Who do you have?

[Michael Duncan]

Adam Kinzinger.

[Comfortably Smug]

Wow.

[John Ashbrook]

Kingzinger.

[Michael Duncan]

Wow. Slava Ukraine.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay.

[John Ashbrook]

All right. Well, let's go ringside.

[Michael Duncan]

Ladies and gentlemen, your attendees, please, it's time for King of the Hill. In the blue corner, fighting out of his own Twitter account, Adam Kinzinger. And now in the red corner, fighting from the Daily Beast or the MSNBC spin off, Nobody Knows, it's Rick Wilson.

[Josh Holmes]

Extra God. Roll.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

Which I'm. I, you know, I gotta say, I'm glad he did. Usually when he's in the competition, you get a little.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, he sprinkles in a little more enthusiasm on his side.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, but he gave it to me.

[Josh Holmes]

He did.

[John Ashbrook]

He's just a fair guy.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, I want you to know that I'm the bailiff for today's match. I will be running a very, very fair outfit here in today's.

[Michael Duncan]

As usual.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Is comfortably smug right here.

[Comfortably Smug]

All time greatest judge.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay, let's go for the champion, please. Your submission.

[John Ashbrook]

My submission is. Sorry, I have many here. We haven't played in two weeks. And so it gets a little.

[Josh Holmes]

Court has little patience for not being organized when we have started the game.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, I'm going to notice.

[John Ashbrook]

Excuse me, can I get Exhibit number one, please. Spaghettz. Rick Wilson writes, the only good Nazi is a dead Nazi. True then, true now.

[Josh Holmes]

Is there any context? It's just a straight.

[John Ashbrook]

It's just Rick Wilson being Rick Wilson.

[Comfortably Smug]

So this is, this is the thing you, You've seen. A lot of the left has adopted the idea that Republicans are Nazis, by and large. Right. And so when he says true then, true now, you don't really see many Nazis these days. Most of them got killed, you know, World War II.

[Josh Holmes]

Turns out we touched on that in the 40s.

[John Ashbrook]

Might be a few floating around there in Argentina or somewhere, you know.

[Josh Holmes]

Sure.

[Comfortably Smug]

But what happens here is, you know, the left trying to paint anyone who doesn't agree with me as a Nazi is just a permission structure for them to, like. You see, I saw the video from Manhattan of a family was driving in a cybertruck, and the things got like, you know, cameras for parking and shit on it, although Teslas do. And from the side camera, you see a dude just run off the sidewalk and start beating on the car. And why is it? Because the left has been given messages like this, like, oh, you know, we're, we're out here fighting Nazis. So if you attack a family driving it, yeah, you drive a Tesla, you're Nazi. Unreal.

[Josh Holmes]

Very well conditioned. The challenger, please.

[Michael Duncan]

Okay, spaghetti exhibit 21, please. In keeping with the theme of this program, Congressman Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine who voted for the continuing resolution to keep the government open, tweeted that he wants to keep the government open. And Adam Kinzinger took issue with that. He writes, this is awful. Rep. Golden just gave the GOP a talking point of bipartisan bill. And he also just voted to give up all the leverage in pushing back against the administration. The spending power is Congress only power. While I usually applaud bipartisanship, this is travesty. And so, your honor, Slava Ukraine, who used to be a Republican congressman, is now to the left of a sitting Democrat in the House of Representatives. And that's my offering for round one.

[Comfortably Smug]

And that's super strong. And even how he closed, he was like, listen, I'm usually for bipartisan, but I've become an absolute hypocrite for money.

[John Ashbrook]

He might have been a bipartisan person in his heart, but he didn't say, the only good Nazi is a dead Nazi.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, I gotta say, the thing is that you see a lot of that take from the left of like, oh, every Republican is a Nazi. But I just love seeing Kinzinger just give away the game of being like, listen, I used to say shit about how bipartisanship is good, but now I make all my money being left wing anymore. That's why I say first round goes to Kinzinger.

[Michael Duncan]

Wow. Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

I'm a stunner.

[Josh Holmes]

I know. I think it was a good stunner.

[John Ashbrook]

Okay.

[Josh Holmes]

Novel and new. Let's go to the Challenger for round two, please.

[Michael Duncan]

Okay. Spaghetti. Let's go. Exhibit number 17.

[John Ashbrook]

Gee, 17.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, he's brought some ammo.

[Michael Duncan]

Adam Kinzinger is commenting on top of an account from something called Kiev Post that's attacking Trump. And Kinzinger writes, he's evil. How can an unhealthy 78 year old who has live. Live where? Past tense would do. No copy editor on this, who has lived most of his life already, be comfortable with what he's gonna tell his maker when he meets him? He must not really believe in God. Four ellipses, one too many. Cuz there is no way to justify this betrayal. Adam Cuck Kinzinger right there. At 11:17am on March 4th.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's a lot of hyperventilating for the morning.

[Josh Holmes]

The bailiff feels compelled to point out that this is not just a Ukrainian allegation. It is in fact an allegation that Donald Trump does not believe in God.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, this is just interesting, the takes from these people.

[Josh Holmes]

All right, the champion.

[John Ashbrook]

Okay, well, we'll see how this goes down. Exhibit number seven.

[Josh Holmes]

So last week, oh, my God.

[John Ashbrook]

We played a tweet from Rick Wilson where he was saying that many Roman emperors were assassinated by the Praetorian Guard. And he said, apropos of nothing. And this is now a theme of Rick Wilson's tweets where he's encouraging people to kill Donald Trump. He tweets out a photo. This is the corpses of the DeWitt brothers. This is a painting or some. Some depiction of a brutal mob lynching at the hague from the 1600s by the Dutch. And he just tweets out a photo of it of two men basically being killed at the stake and puts apropos of nothing.

[Josh Holmes]

Wow, I've got.

[John Ashbrook]

Does that one win?

[Josh Holmes]

I have got nothing.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, I mean, I've got to say, that's a winner. And Secret Service, I think you've also got a choice.

[Josh Holmes]

I think there's a job to do.

[John Ashbrook]

There's a case. There's a case to be made.

[Josh Holmes]

Please, FBI, if you're listening, I mean that.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean the fact that they've been emboldened to this level.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, my God. Think about Jesus. Holy Cats. I'm actually disturbed. Yeah, we're pretty cynical here.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah. That's the thing, is there is no bottom for these folks. Oh, Jesus.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. Shout out to Nikki Spaghetti, who has to troll the bottom of the Internet.

[Josh Holmes]

I know. His poor brain. Yeah, yeah, it's.

[John Ashbrook]

He should get hazard pay.

[Josh Holmes]

He should.

[John Ashbrook]

I'm calling him for it.

[Comfortably Smug]

We're all tied up. Goes to round three.

[Josh Holmes]

All right, champion, what do we got?

[John Ashbrook]

Okay, it's not you. I'm the champion and I'm going to be playing. Yeah. You know, I'm going to do exhibit number three, you know, so. So this is a video, a new video from the Lincoln Project.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, my God.

[John Ashbrook]

Which I am, I'm. I'm shocked. Is actually still around and in business. I'm, I'm, I'm shocked that there's still people and frankly, I'm terrified that they're willing to open their wallets to the Lincoln Project at this point after they failed so miserably in 2024. They should be processing, but they're still doing. And this is why I think it's such a good tweet. They're still doing what they always did, and that is they make niche content for a radical left wing base to basically troll Donald Trump to raise money. None of this is impactful for the broader electorate. Doesn't convince a single person. They put out this video. And this is Rick Wilson's comment, come for seeing Donald Trump as Putin's bitch. Stay for JD Vance in a gimp suit. And it's like, dude, this is the last gasp. This is, this is them. This is them at the bottom of the barrel. Nothing left. And they're trying to find a way to keep the Lincoln Project going. And that is just a sad fact of our politics.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's it. That's it. You just, I mean, you just described it because, like, their ads or whatever don't move anyone who's voting. It's just this insane kind of like, resistance.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. They're like, they're like, give us $1 million and we're going to run this in the Palm beach dma. We're going to get under Donald Trump's.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, you've lived through the last eight years and you still think that Trump is a Putin bitch.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

You know what I mean? Like, despite all facts to the contrary, you've landed in a position where you're like, no, they said that. So that's what that is.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Comfortably Smug]

Such weirdos. Alrighty, on to Ashbrook.

[Michael Duncan]

Okay, so variation on theme here. Your Honor, exhibit 13, please. Spaghetti. And we have our challenger, quote, tweeting some account who's talking about how Zelensky has the biggest balls in the room. And Kinzinger replies, totally. He's a real man who defends his country, doesn't wither or flee. Like, 100% Trump would will punch anyone in the face for his nation versus, quote, I dip Zen and go to masculine camp with my Alpha bros and eat fruit snacks and wear a beard because Alpha. But Trump is my first love and I wanna hold him accountable. I'm sorry, I wanna hold him in cuddle. So Alpha.

[Comfortably Smug]

These people are just so weird.

[Michael Duncan]

That's 9:10am From Adam Kinzinger, former Republican member of Congress.

[Comfortably Smug]

Like, I remember they tried that, like, the Dems tried the whole, like, JD is weird thing. And it absolutely just backfired on them because, you know, they're the party trying to have, like, men playing women's sports. And. And then they're like, you got Rick Wilson be like, stay for JD In a gimp suit, right? You've got this guy being like, I want to just cuddle the bros. This is just like.

[Michael Duncan]

This is a much more, much more verbose version of what Duncan said. But I will point out to your honor that he is quote, tweeting somebody who says that Zelensky has the biggest balls in the room in his first words.

[Comfortably Smug]

You said that already. And you know what? It's a valiant attempt. But at the end of the day, I think Duncan highlighting the abject failure of the Lincoln project and how they've essentially become like, you know, the last Japanese soldiers on an island who don't realize the war is over.

[Josh Holmes]

That's where my heart was.

[Comfortably Smug]

Well, you, Honor, he's got to go.

[Josh Holmes]

With the W. Plus, I'm still reeling from round two.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, yeah, that's a win for Duncan.

[Michael Duncan]

Yes, it's. That was tough to beat.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, we can all agree that was that. Donald Trump's election, which apparently isn't great for the Lincoln project, should be very good for the therapy industry.

[Josh Holmes]

It should.

[John Ashbrook]

Based on all of these tweets, it should.

[Josh Holmes]

SSRIs are going to be through the moon.

[John Ashbrook]

Through the moon on these. Got to get in the market.

[Josh Holmes]

Big victory for Rick Wilson and our defending champion, Michael Duncan. As we move on, we're going to get to an interview with Megan Novak. I want to point out she brought a gift to us. Fellas. You know how we love gifts here on the variety program. This is a. As described to us a bourbon. In fact, it's a whiskey because it's not made in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

[John Ashbrook]

Correct.

[Josh Holmes]

But it doesn't make it any less good.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

This outfit's called Maelstrom and it's made by a cat who's apparently just a good friend out there of things that, that everyone does. Kerry Shaw. And Kerry Shaw apparently loads these things into fishing boats, helps distill it on the water.

[Comfortably Smug]

No kidding.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

In Lake Superior. So it's rocked to maturation in Lake Superior.

[Comfortably Smug]

Interesting.

[Josh Holmes]

Isn't that interesting?

[Comfortably Smug]

That is interesting.

[Josh Holmes]

Can't wait to try all that. You for that and, and thank you to this interview with Megan Novak, a very special guest here on the Ruthless Variety program.

[Michael Duncan]

Indeed.

[Josh Holmes]

Megan Novak. She's a state director of AFP Wisconsin. And you might ask yourself, well, what exactly is happening here in the great state of Wisconsin? Well, it turns out kind of a lot.

[Michael Duncan]

Yep.

[Josh Holmes]

And Megan here is going to give us an update on a very important Supreme Court race that's happening. How are you?

[F]

I'm great. I'm busy trying to save our state and save our country. But I'm great.

[Josh Holmes]

Native of Wisconsin, obviously. And you've seen your state go blue. It's gone red. It's gone, you know, obviously last election. Terrific news. But these state Supreme Court things play a big role in a whole bunch of things that shape the complexion of your state's politics, don't they?

[F]

Absolutely. We've got a state seven seat Supreme Court in Wisconsin. They serve ten year terms. And so we have an election.

[Josh Holmes]

Ten year terms.

[F]

Ten year terms. Not a lot of opportunity for accountability voters. Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

No. You kind of get one bite at the apple at these things.

[F]

Yep. And so it's an open seat this time. There's a liberal justice who decided to retire instead of run for reelection. And it is our last chance to flip the court back from a liberal majority to a conservative rule of law majority until 2028.

[Josh Holmes]

Remind us. So the last time we talked about Wisconsin Supreme Court, we talked about a very pivotal race a couple years ago. We ended up coming up just an eyelash short. Had a huge consequence in terms of redistricting, a whole bunch of things down ballot that obviously we would like to go the other way. This is just as consequential.

[F]

Yeah. The, the big thing that people don't probably realize because outside of maybe the three of us, there's not a lot of people in D.C. right now who care about a Wisconsin Supreme Court race. But why they all should is that the liberal running for this, Susan Crawford, she participated in a Fundraiser with the subject line, take back the House majority by winning the Supreme Court.

[Michael Duncan]

That's incredible.

[F]

She's actively participating in fundraisers about how they can gerrymander two congressional seats, Wisconsin one and Wisconsin three, for the Democrats to take away the House majority. I mean, if anyone here cares about the America first agenda of Trump getting his agenda done, they have to care about the Supreme Court race. Because if we lose, that House majority is gone.

[Josh Holmes]

I see.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, it is. And Democrats are, of course, very good at stealing elections. But the one thing that Republicans do better than them is turn out voters. And what I want to ask you about, Megan, is something that's on my mind. You know, the last few midterms, Republicans have been on the ballot without President Trump's name on the ballot. And now you have a Supreme Court race that is not even in a midterm. It's just sort of in the middle of nowhere. And I'm wondering what sort of things you guys are doing to make sure that that Trump vote turns out these rural voters who care about America first. And I know that you're hitting a lot of doors and, and AFP is just legendary in their ability to do that sort of thing, but what are you guys doing to make sure that people are aware in Wisconsin and are coming out to vote in such an important election?

[F]

The number one thing is we didn't pack up our bags and go home after the November election. We took two weeks, little two week break, and then we were right back out on doors talking about the Supreme Court race. So when the Trump victory was fresh in everyone's minds, we were out there talking to them directly about, okay, here's the next election you have to care about, because it didn't end on November 5th for everyone. There's so much at stake in this election. And so We've reached almost 300,000 voters directly since before Thanksgiving last year. And we'll be through it April 1, which is election Day, because, of course, it's on April Fool's Day. Why wouldn't you, why wouldn't you put the future of Wisconsin in the future of country on April Fool's Day? It feels pretty ironic, but we'll be out there every single day until then because we know those voters are going to be more likely to turn out if we're able to talk to them face to face.

[Josh Holmes]

So who's our guy?

[F]

Brad Schimmel is our guy.

[Josh Holmes]

Brad Schimmel is our guy. Good dude, great dude. And obviously fits along the lines of somebody who's going to interpret law. Somebody who follows the law, has respect for the law, is not interested in running for the Supreme Court in order to overturn majorities in Congress as his opponent is.

[F]

Maybe you should run. That was a great pitch. No, Brad is. I mean, he really true. Like, he's a good guy, which helps. In Wisconsin, we like super authentic real people. When we elect candidates, we don't want a fake person coming in and carpet bagging or anything like that. We want the guy that passes the beer test so we can sit at the bar and have our Miller Light with.

[Josh Holmes]

There's no question about that. By the way, my experience as a Minnesotan with Wisconsin is the beer test. Very important.

[F]

It's very important.

[Josh Holmes]

Very important.

[F]

Very important. And he passes it. I mean, not only was he a district attorney, Wisconsin attorney general, a circuit court judge, but he's in a rock cover band. He plays bass.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, there he is.

[F]

He's.

[Josh Holmes]

He's a dude, kind of cool, like.

[F]

For a Wisconsin dad. He's kind of a cool guy and he's super relatable. And people want that. Like, they don't want some stuffy stiff. Tell it like talking down to you. Condescending person. Like, his opponent is. They want someone they can relate to.

[Josh Holmes]

And that's Brad Schimmel you want. His opponent is like spending all their time trying to figure out how to facilitate Soros prosecutors overturn house majorities. Voter ID is something that's come up in her past.

[F]

Voter ID Act 10, the Big labor reform. If you remember the huge protests in Wisconsin, 100,000 protesters, which I think they call that an insurrection now, but 100,000 protesters in Wisconsin in 2011, the reform that took back collective bargaining from public sector unions actually saved our state from becoming Illinois. That's. She argued against it, tried to overturn it in the courts because she's that radical.

[Josh Holmes]

So this is a dyed in the.

[F]

Wool progressive leftist, full Dane county, absolute progressive, like, hold nothing back. That is who she is.

[Michael Duncan]

What's her deal on voter id? She's just against it. She doesn't want like, you know, legitimacy in our elections.

[F]

I mean, she argues that it suppresses voters. Interestingly enough, our really good partner in state Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, they just released a report, academic research paper, that shows that there's absolutely no negative impact on turnout for states that pass voter id. And it's possible that it actually increases turnout because, you know, gives people faith in their elections and that their vote is actually going to count.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, I mean, look, it doesn't come as news to us, the only people left in the world who think that voter ID is somehow a suppression device, or the very progressive leftists who are just off the left hand side of the map.

[Michael Duncan]

Let me just. It's people trying to cheat. Yeah, it's people trying. It is people trying to cheat. They're trying to get away with something. Because, you know, you get on a train, you have to show your id. You go to a high school football game, you have to show your id. To get your tickets, you go to the hospital, you gotta show your id. Why can't you?

[Josh Holmes]

My understanding is to go to this debate that they're having, gotta show an id. Gotta show.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, you're kidding. To go. Oh, to the debate, you have to show your id. And she's like, no, you can't show your ID at the polling location.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, I wonder why. I wonder why. It's interesting, right?

[Michael Duncan]

Great judge.

[F]

I like to call her Chameleon Crawford. She does a really good job pretending to be a moderate. If you watch her ads, she's like, I'm tough on crime. I'm law enforcement's choice. She's endorsed by one sheriff, maybe two. I don't want to discount her. Maybe it's two at this point. Brad Schimmel's endorsed by 80. Like, you tell me, who's the law enforcement candidate? It's Brad Schimmel.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, right. So if you're in Wisconsin, you gotta get activated on this thing. You gotta get involved. But even if you're in, you know, anywhere, you should probably get in touch. Where do they go for you to help garner resources or people who want to volunteer time?

[F]

Absolutely. AFPWisconsin.com AFPWisconsin.com is the best place to get in touch with us. You can fill out the form directly. I want to help Bradshimmel get elected or something along those lines. And we'll get in touch with you right away to figure out how you can get the resources you need to. If you're in Wisconsin, you can come out and outdoors with us. If you're out of Wisconsin, even making phone calls, talking to any family and friends that you have in Wisconsin, knowing what's at stake, it's super important and that's the best way to reach us.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

This is about keeping the ball rolling too. Right? I mean, we've had a lot of momentum coming out of November. The left, if you look at nationally, they're basically trying to swing at every pitch, every single thing. They're like, well, this is the thing Right. The Department of Education, USAID shutting down the government, whatever it is that they come up with, they're like, this is the thing. But if they win a Supreme Court race in a very critical swing state, this is what they're going to build momentum on.

[F]

I mean, it's why George Soros and Reid Hoffman and J.B. pritzker are dumping millions into this race. They know that this is the litmus test to finally mobilize the left. Because from what I can see in Wisconsin, they're still pretty heartbroken. You know, they did all of their scream fests at Lake Michigan and whatever else after the election, but they're still, they are struggling to find a message that unites them and sticks and they're, they're batting under 100 at this point. Like, they're just, they're missing every single pitch coming their way.

[Josh Holmes]

It ain't good, but we got to finish the job. The election is on April 1st.

[F]

Yes.

[Josh Holmes]

So we've got a critical few weeks here to make a big difference.

[F]

Yep. You can do a lot in a couple weeks here. Early voting starts March 18, and so that's really when the rubber hits the road of making sure we're turning out every single Bradshaw voter that we can once early voting starts and through Election Day.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, listen, Megan Novak, thank you for the good work that you're doing. Thanks for keeping us updated. We'll obviously watch the results, but let's talk more about this as it goes. If you're successful on this deal, this is going to be a good example of how we can replicate this nationwide. If we come up short, it's going to be a good reminder to an awful lot of people of why you gotta pay attention all the time, because it has critical, critical impact on the whole country. Just this little Supreme Court race in Wisconsin. So, Megan, thank you for sharing this.

[F]

Yeah, thank you for having me on.

[Michael Duncan]

She's so good. And this is something that everybody needs to focus on. I mean, we cannot sleep our way through this race because it will have real consequences if Republicans don't win.

[Josh Holmes]

These things are going to come up.

[John Ashbrook]

National news is great, and we love what happens here in D.C. when Donald Trump's in charge. But there's stuff that happens in the states that's very important. So I'm glad we were able to.

[Josh Holmes]

Highlight, may have a definitive impact on the House of Representatives. And if you're interested in having the last two years of this Trump administration look like the last two years of his previous administration, pay attention, Pay attention. Then nothing but impeachments and all kinds of nonsense if you don't focus on things like the Supreme Court race in Wisconsin. Thank you, Megan, for all of that. Remember our question of the day, folks. Are Democrats really going to shut this thing down? I don't know. But your answers will help guide us on all of that. And also throw in a little discussion about whether or not we think the ruthless variety.

[John Ashbrook]

Fellas, tell Donald Trump to give us his Tesla. We're good guys.

[Josh Holmes]

We could take that for a spin, huh?

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

So throw that in there too. With that, fellas, I think we've done it.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think so. Absolute banger of an episode. Gentlemen, thank you so much, Megan Novak. And thank you so much to our listeners. Remember, if you have not yet hit that like and subscribe on YouTube, it's more fun in video. So until next time, minions, keep the faith, hold the line, and own the libs. We'll see you Tuesday. Stay ruthless.

[G]

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